Mrauk U

The temple is in ruins, but the Buddha statue remains

Kothaung Paya

Stupas at Kothaung Paya

Mrauk U is not frequented by many tourists, and the lack of signage reflects this.  After procuring a map from our guesthouse, we decided to set out on foot to see some of the sights.  Unfortunately, we didn’t make it far due to getting disoriented.  Like everywhere in Myanmar, the roads are not labelled.  However, Mrauk U goes one step further and there is no distinction between paved road and dirt path.  It wasn’t a complete loss though, as foot travel allowed us to walk through the village and observe village life.  The poverty in Mrauk U is very evident.  People live in small raised bamboo huts, and gather water from community wells.  It appeared that the majority of homes did not have running water.  

Pigs, goats, and chickens wander the streets freely

After our failed attempt at a self-propelled tour of the temple site, we opted to hire a moto-rickshaw to take us around.  It ended up being an extremely good idea, as the driver knew exactly how to get to every place we wanted to go to.  To beat the oppressive heat, we negotiated to start out in the early morning, return midday, and head out again in the afternoon.  Despite this, I still got heatstroked.  This trip really showed me, that despite having subtropical genetics, I am not made for hot weather!!!

The Rakhine temple style is quite different from that found in Bagan.

The jungle takes over so quickly

There are three main large temples in Mrauk U, and hundreds of smaller stupas.  The main temples are Shittaung, Dukkthein, and Kothaung.  The style of temple here is very different from that in Bagan.  These temples are built like fortresses, with extremely thick walls and tunnel-like hallways.  I found both Shittaung and Dukkthein to be very eerie and omninous.  Dukkthein is especially known for its bunker-like style and spiral halls leading to the central chamber.  In fact, originally historians thought it was a military bunker instead of a place of worship.  

Hallway lined with Buddhas.

Dukkthein temple

 It was just about to rain when we visited Dukkthein.  At the entrance there was an old man with a walking stick.  He spoke no English, and of course we spoke no Rakhine.  He ended up following us through the creepy dark hallways.  There was no natural lighting in Dukkthein, so the hallways were dimly lit with fluorescent lights.  One of the distinguishing features of this temple are that the hallways are lined with thousands of Buddha statues.  Which in theory sounds serene, but in this setting it was downright creepy.  As we walked through the spiraling hallway, we could hear thunder rumbling outside.  Then, the lights flickered and went out.  By now I was truly freaked out.  Thank goodness I had my iPhone with me, and was able to use the flashlight app for light.  We made it back to the entrance, with the old man still following us.  Looking back, we think he was a temple caretaker or something of the like.  But at the time, he was downright creepy!!!

Met these little monks.  One of them was singing a Justin Bieber song!